How Your Furnace Can Impact Your Energy Bill

Because they’re used so often, especially in the cold Ohio winters, furnaces tend to use the most energy in your home and can even account for up to two-thirds of your winter energy bill. And this is just if they’re properly maintained and functioning normally! The minute your furnace is in need of maintenance or repairs, its energy efficiency declines and you will start to see your energy bill skyrocket. If you’re trying to conserve energy and save money on your monthly bill, it’s important that you have one of our expert Cleveland technicians at Arco Comfort Air perform annual routine maintenance. However, this is not the only way to cut costs in the winter. As technology improves, so, too, do modern furnaces’ energy efficiency. Below, we’ve listed the various ways your furnace can positively or negatively impact your monthly energy bill.

Let’s Get the Bad News Out of the Way First!

Any time your furnace starts to dip below routine function, it will have to work harder to keep your home a warm, comfortable temperature. The harder it works, the more energy it consumes, and the more your monthly bill will be.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to help you save 10% or more on your energy bill.

Clean or Replace the Filters

Ensuring proper airflow is one of the easiest ways to help your furnace function efficiently and use a standard amount of energy. To do this, you can regularly clean or replace the filters. Some units have disposable filters while others have ones that you can wash when they become clogged or dirty. Our expert technicians are more than happy to assist you with this process.

Ensure It’s Operating Optimally

When you have a professional HVAC expert perform an annual maintenance inspection, they will check all of your furnace’s parts are in proper working order. Safe operations mean that your unit is working as it should, which should shave off any spikes on your energy bill.

Check Your Ductwork

Your furnace is responsible for heating the air that is then distributed throughout your home through the ducts. Anytime you have a leak, a disconnected duct, or poor insulation, it can result in severe heat loss, sometimes as great as 25%. This means that your furnace must go into overdrive to properly disperse enough heat, making your energy bill rise.

Now for the Good News! A New Furnace Is an Easy Way to Save!

While getting routine maintenance is always recommended, another way to significantly cut costs is to upgrade your furnace to a more modern, high-efficiency unit. The energy efficiency of a furnace is measured in AFUE, which stands for the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency and is essentially the amount of heat a furnace produces in relation to how much fuel is required. If you have an older furnace, chances are its AFUE is between 50 to 70%. Because a high-efficiency furnace requires less fuel to produce the same amount of heat, its AFUE can be as high as 95%. The less energy you use to heat your home, the lower your energy bill will be.

If you’re interested in upgrading to a more energy-efficient furnace, or if you’d like to schedule routine maintenance, give our Cleveland heating experts at Arco Comfort Air a call at (216) 236-5860 or contact us online.